


Fire Extinguisher

by halfd3af



Category: Original Work
Genre: Anxiety, Asexual Character, Emotional Abuse, M/M, OCD, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:34:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27398818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfd3af/pseuds/halfd3af
Summary: Nick Sterling is a college graduate with the weight of the world on his shoulders after inheriting his adopted family’s business firm a year prior. Everything seems to be falling apart around him, and with the encouragement of a newly acquired friend, he makes the decision to see a counselor about his poor mental health. Reviving the past decade of his life in therapy sessions isn’t enjoyable in the slightest, but exhuming that tragic corpse is a surefire way for him to learn how he can manage the present.





	Fire Extinguisher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is something that’s been living in my brain since my last year of high school, and now I have the energy to finally write beyond just outlines. It has changed quite a bit since 2017 in terms of specific plot points, but the overall story remains the same.

The static in his mind fills the void between his ever-changing concerns, flicking between them like radio stations.  _ What if I’m in the wrong part of the building? Will I have to race to another part of the hospital, only to find that my appointment was scheduled for tomorrow and not today? God, maybe they— _

“Nick?”

His name being called out disrupts the man from his deluge of thoughts. Standing up from the plastic chair, he instinctively travels to the woman holding open a door across the room.

“Hi, I’m Robin! It’s nice to meet you” Her smile bright against the dark-skin of her face as she leans in for a handshake. He accepts her hand, replying with a short, “It’s n-nice to meet you too”. His new counselor gestures behind her. “Well, if you’ll just follow me down the hall...”

She closes the door separating the waiting room from the offices after he steps across the threshold, and leads him through a hallway lined with photographs of idyllic scenery. His eyes glaze over them with half-hearted interest before focusing on the floor beneath every stride of his legs. 

He walks into her office filled with an equal amount of framed pictures decorating the pale blue walls. “You can sit down on that couch over there”, She says, waving to a small blue loveseat on one side of the room.

Nick sinks hesitantly into the sofa, and she perches herself opposing him in a comfortable white armchair. He stares at her feet, avoiding direct eye contact for as long as he can. “How has your day been?” She questions, gracing him with another warm smile when he glances up at the sound. “It’s been fine.”  _If you discount the agonizing anxiety I’ve been having all week before coming here._

A pause hangs in the air as she checks something on the clipboard resting on a nearby end table. His stomach tightens under the clench of an invisible fist and two fingers spin the black ring on his right hand.

“So Nick, would you like to tell me a little bit about yourself?” Robin inquires, her body language and the room around him positively oozing with an inviting presence. It’s almost too cozy, like a padded room. Nothing for him to feel nervous about minus the intrusive thoughts stabbing his brain like barbed felting needles. 

“Well.. I’m 23. I work as an editor for the  _ Centralia Spirit_, since I don’t really, uh, need a high-paying job due to... you know” He begins, his voice faltering at the implication, but she nods in understanding. “Would you wanna talk a little more about that in particular? If not, that’s perfectly fine” She suggests, but he shakes his head.

“I don’t mind talking about  that , it’s more about what came.. before” Nick remarks, gazing at the ring on his middle finger. He swallows the lump in his throat.  _ So much for a lighthearted first meeting, huh? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short but that’s on purpose, the next one will be MUCH longer. Also, each chapter is being named after a song from my personal playlist, because I can’t stop myself from doing that with my fanfics lol


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